There are days that my minds is sadly preoccupied with trifles such as undone laundry and email. Both are equally depressing.

Some days I also blow up like a peacock because of injustice that has been done. By politicians. By other leaders. By teachers. By business people. By people who should know better.

The last week my mind has for example been busy stewing over the fact that the Nobel’s Peace Prize was given to a bureaucratic, political union who boasts to be exporting 32% of the world’s weapons, whose economic politics have brought its people to utter despair.

It still baffles me that it was no mistake that the European Union got the Nobel’s Peace Prize this year.

But, I should not be surprised. Many of this world’s leaders are more about their own power, their own reputation and about immortalizing themselves than about doing what is right. It seems like egos got in the way when the Nobel Committee decided who to give the prize to this year. The ego is a dangerous foe.

Wouldn’t it be fun to have my own Peace Prize?! The Oddny’s Peace Prize. I know who would not get it. I think I would skip most presidents and political unions. I would skip most of the influential men and women who get so much attention anyway. And I would look for the real heroes. The ones who are working with few resources, with much resistance, without any fame, oftentimes without any money, with lots of oppositions, in constant danger, under constant pressure, but with one motive only: LOVE.

I would for example give my prize to some of the great men and women nominated to get the Nobel’s Peace prize this year:

Sima Simar is one of them. Have you ever heard her name? I thought so. Neither had I. But this is a brave woman from Afghanistan who was educated a medical doctor, who spent years as a refugee in Pakistan after her husband was arrested and never heard from again. She set up women’s hospitals for Afghani women, returned to Afghanistan and is now actively working for women’s rights there. My favorite quote by her is: I have always been in danger, but I don’t mind. If you want to learn more about her, and don’t mind Wikipedia, here is the link.

There’s Maggie Gobran, a Coptic nun in Egypt whose Stephen’s Children charity helps Christian children living in Cairo’s slums. The Mother Teresa of Cairo they call her. I bet she would have made good use of 1.2 mill USD and the attention the Noble’s Peace Prize could have given her.

My own colleagues that would also be nominated for their heroism. The men and women I know in Burma who tirelessly work to help their people get food, medicine, care, shelter, education, safety. How much they could do with some attention from the world and with 1.2 mill. They would spend the money where most needed. Of that I am sure. What would Marci, an American nurse that works with Partners, do with 1.2 mill USD? You can read about what she did with hardly no money on our blog here.

As I am writing this I find that I am more encouraged than discouraged. The reason is that the list of people in this world who do good is so long that I can’t see the end of it. The world is full of selfish and corrupt people, that is true. But it is also full of heroes like Sima Simar, Mother Maggie, and Marci. (Look here and you will see why so many of my colleagues need a prize)

We need to find a new way to honor these people. The Oddny’s Peace Prize may not be much. But it is what I have to offer right now.

2 Comments

Oddny, I was so troubled by the decision to give the Nobel price to an inanimate collective noun in stead of a person. I was really disappointed when they gave it to Barrack Obama for doing nothing but showing up and being a glimmer of hope, first – this time I’d say I’ve simply lost confidence in the value of the prize itself.
It’s very sad.
Thank you for you words. Just today I brought this up with some co-workers. It makes me so sad.

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About Oddny

Oddny is the founder of a non profit organization working with children affected by conflict and oppression. She is a motivational speaker, the author of 2 books, and mother to 3 beautiful girls.Read More